How Much Self Storage Do I Need? | How To Choose The Right Sized Unit

Trust us when we say choosing the right-sized storage unit is the key to taking the stress out of moving. If the unit is too small, playing Tetris while you stack all your items will be a hassle. If the unit is too large, you might have to pay for space you don’t need.

To help you pick the perfect storage unit to meet your unique needs, we’ve pulled together this guide to answer the question: how much self storage do I need? We cover the benefits of self-storage and provide expert tips to help you pick a storage unit with the correct dimensions to fit all your items.

Who uses self storage?

If it’s your first time considering self storage, you might be wondering whether you really need it? Who uses self storage anyway? Here at More Space Storage, we cater for a range of customers, including people who are:

1. Moving house, downsizing or renovating
Whether you need a place to store furniture temporarily while you’re waiting to settle on a new house, or you’ve just downsized into a small apartment and aren’t ready to sell all your excess belongings, self storage is a great option. We also have customers looking to store goods temporarily while renovating their homes, or store items because of a sudden change in their living arrangements.

2. Travelling or moving overseas
Moving overseas for work? Taking a long-awaited year off work to travel the world? Either way, self storage is an excellent solution if you don’t want to sell all your belongings and don’t have family or friends to store them with. It’s especially common for people planning on renting their house out while they’re away.

3. Storing an estate or precious family heirlooms
Few things in life are as stressful as selling the family home and everything that goes with it after a loved one has passed away. Self storage is perfect for people who don’t have space to store precious family heirlooms but aren’t ready to part with all the memories.

4. Storing excess business stock
Storage units aren’t just for personal items—many businesses use them too. They’re particularly popular among small business owners who started running the business from home and suddenly ran out of space for all their inventory.

Why use self storage?

Now you know a bit more about who uses storage units, what about why use self storage? Here are a few of the main benefits of self storage:

• Safe and secure – reputable self-storage facilities are well protected with security features including CCTV, fencing and security staff to give you peace of mind that your precious items won’t be stolen or damaged.
• Declutters your life – you don’t just have to use a storage facility for bulky goods or an entire house worth of belongings. Lots of people store clothes in a storage unit, as well as other knick-knacks to free up cupboard space at home.
• Gives you time to plan – hiring a storage unit is a great way to get some breathing space if you’re not sure what to do with your items. This is particularly beneficial if you’re clearing out a loved one’s belongings after they’ve passed away, or you’re between houses and trying to decide how to furnish the new place.

How much self storage do I need?

From a few boxes to a whole four-bedroom house worth of items, there’s guaranteed to be self storage unit dimensions that suit your needs. Here at More Space Storage, we have units ranging in size from 4 cubic metres—enough to store a few boxes—right the way through to units with 58 cubic metre capacity, perfect for storing the contents of a large four-bedroom house.

Here’s a quick overview of some of our self storage unit dimensions:

• Remnant – 1.2m x 1.3m x 2.8m or 4 cubic metres
• Small one bedroom – 2.5m x 1.5m x 2.8m or 10 cubic metres
• Large one bedroom – 2.5m x 2.2m x 2.8m or 15 cubic metres
• Large two bedroom – 4m x 2.5m x 2.8m or 28 cubic metres
• Large three bedroom – 5.4m x 3m x 2.8m or 45 cubic metres (standard shipping container size)
• Four bedroom – 6m x 3m x 2.8m or 50 cubic metres
• Large four bedroom – 6m x 3.5m x 2.8m or 58 cubic metres.

When it comes to deciding ‘how much self storage do I need’, it’s essential to consider a few factors:

• How many items are you storing and how will they be packed? Are you storing items that can be easily packed into boxes and stacked for efficient storage, or are you storing large bulky items that will take up more space? Are you storing fragile items that need to be carefully stored away from other items? It’s always a good idea to err on the side of slightly too much storage because you can downsize if you need to.
• How accessible do you need your items to be? If you’re not planning on accessing your belongings while they’re in storage, you can afford to pack them in more tightly. If you’re likely to need to take things in and out of storage, it’s a good idea to leave more space to make it easier to walk around the unit and move items around.

How much does self storage cost?

Fees for self storage units are usually billed every month. How much self storage costs depends on several factors:

• Unit size – the larger the storage unit, the more expensive it will be to rent.
• Rental length – discounts are generally available for longer-term storage, with shorter-term storage typically costing a bit more.
• Location – ground-floor storage units are often slightly more expensive than upper-floor units simply because they’re more accessible. Storage units in the inner suburbs also tend to be more expensive than those in outer suburban areas.

For more information, visit our handy storage sizes page, or get a quote today to find out just how affordable self-storage can be.